His Butler, Intimidated
by sorcerousfang
Summary: In which Sebastian and Ciel find themselves thrown into 21st Century Japan for no apparent reason, and end up in the territory of a certain puzzle-loving demon and his human partner.
1. Arrival

**I own neither of these series, but they are fun.**

 **Spoilers for Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro if you haven't gotten around to finishing that.**

 **EDIT (6/4/17) – Polished this up a bit. Now I feel better.**

* * *

Supernatural encounters for Ciel had become something of a normal occurrence. Beyond his own demonic butler, his staff consisted of a physically-enhanced gardener, a markswoman with ridiculous aim for a maid, an explosive cook, and a man who could converse with snakes. He had met Reapers, dealt with cultists, battled re-animated corpses… the list could (and likely would) go on. What the general populace remained ignorant of, he handled on a daily basis. All in all, not too many things caught him by surprise anymore.

This kind of supernatural culture shock did, however. He had never dealt with falling through a time-slip before. That those existed wasn't so surprising.

It was the world he was greeted with that shook him.

"Young Master, I do believe we have a problem."

 _Problem_ was an understatement.

Sebastian had returned from his quick scouting of the area to the empty room of a building they had quickly holed themselves up in. It was the safest place they could find in this suddenly bright and noisy world. His butler, capable of way too many things to name, had a perplexed and uncertain look on his face. _Problem_ was definitely an understatement.

"I'm aware we have a problem, Sebastian," he bit out. "What I want to know is if you've found a way out of it."

"Regrettably, I have not," came the answer laced in frustration.

Ciel looked out the window in annoyance, eyeing the traffic in the street below. Carriages that moved without anything visible pulling them, lights without flames far too bright for any sort of lightbulb in production in his own time, buildings far too tall without the proper structural supports, characters he did not recognize dominating signs…

This world was not his own.

"I have discovered the time and place we have been thrown into, at least," his butler continued. "We are on the island nation of Japan in the early Twenty-First Century."

"Twe-twenty-first?!" he parroted as he turned quickly back to him in disbelief. Displaced by around one hundred and fifty years? Did England look like the world outside of this building, too?

"Yes," he affirmed, casting a curious gaze out the window. "Amazing what advancements humans have made in that time."

"I don't care about any amazing advancements, Sebastian," he barked. "I just want to get home!"

"Of course."

They stood there in silence for a few moments. Ciel tried to ignore what lay outside the window by looking around the room, but even this small place was foreign. The floors and walls and ceiling were entirely too plain even for an empty room. It was sterile. The only life it contained aside from them was reddish hue cast by the lights outside. Beside him, Sebastian gave the room a once-over, his expression thoughtful.

…And then he froze.

Ciel noticed the change quickly, because it was an action not typical to the demon who served him. Suddenly demonic eyes shot to the corner of the room, a knife smoothly flowing from his coat to the wall. There was a tiny screech and a _twang_ in response.

"…What is it, Sebastian?"

He didn't answer, but he figured he wasn't entirely sure as they calmly moved to investigate what he had pinned to the wall.

Sliced cleanly through with the sharp implement was something of a cross between a human eye and a bug, though its insides were mechanical in appearance. His butler carefully pulled it from the wall to look it over more closely, but it suddenly vanished in haze of greenish aura.

"Evil Friday…?"

"…Sebastian?"

As he spoke, Sebastian's eyes went wide with a realization he was not privy to. Ciel did not like the look on his butler's face. He had never known Sebastian to be nervous, but he appeared just so.

"We must leave," he said too quickly, pocketing his knife and lifting Ciel off of the ground. His protests were met with a stern look. "We are in the territory of someone dangerous, Young Master. We should not risk such an encounter."

The young Earl froze.

"Someone dangerous?"

"It depends on who dares," answered an unfamiliar voice.

Sebastian went stiff as Ciel's uncovered eye darted to the other figure who had shown himself. Defying the very laws of nature, the colorful creature greeted them with a predatory smile as he stood on the ceiling as if it were no different from the floor. Wild green eyes focused on him before his demonic butler whirled around, and he was moved to the relative safety of the space behind him.

Ciel did not have the hearing his butler possessed, but he could swear an unfamiliar name roll quietly off of Sebastian's tongue.

"We have been displaced," the demon said guardedly to the other being in the room. "This was the first place we happened upon that we could collect our bearings safely."

"Ho?" he purred. "Is that the disturbance I felt?"

Ciel was struck by the arrogance that seeped through his words, and Sebastian's subdued ones in contrast. Obviously, this was another demon before them, and something about him had Sebastian on edge.

"Quite likely."

"And the reason you have been running around is…?"

He felt the unspoken words there. _Running around in my territory_. The Earl gripped Sebastian's coat tightly. His butler's nervousness was becoming contagious.

"I have been attempting to gather information concerning our unfamiliar location. I had not noticed your claim."

"No, of course you hadn't, insect," he laughed.

Ciel bristled at the insult. Insulting Sebastian was an insult to him as his contract holder. He couldn't hold back his retort.

"Who do you think you are?" he questioned, stepping forward against Sebastian's outstretched arm.

"Young Master, don't-"

"Your food seems to have some bark to him."

"Do you know who I am?" Ciel continued despite Sebastian's stern request to keep quiet. He was thoroughly annoyed.

"Do you know who _I_ am?"

Ciel felt it suddenly consume the room. The presence of the being in front of him was all at once in every inch of the space around them, and it was such a commanding, terrifying presence that the young boy felt his breath seize in his throat. A fine tremble in his legs made them feel weak. Sebastian could be terrifying when he wanted to be, had far too little trouble ending lives, but this... this was on a wholly different level than he'd known.

This man was, without a doubt, a predator.

They took a collective step back. His butler's eyes were flashing dangerously, but his expression didn't seem to match. Sweat beaded his brow. This was clearly not a battle he felt comfortable participating in, and that lack of confidence frightened the earl.

"Neuro!"

The spell in the room was broken by another voice.

A young woman entered the room through the doorway, heedless of the tension, entirely normal in appearance except for the clothing that decorated her. She crossed her arms over her chest and leveled the colorful man with an exasperated look, blonde hair swishing as she tilted her head.

"Nani suru yo, koko ni?" she continued in a language Ciel didn't recognize, coming up to face the being as though nothing he might do phased her. His standing on the ceiling was not, apparently, unusual. "Watashi no obento woACK!"

He descended from the ceiling directly onto her back, crushing her beneath him deliberately.

"Kuchi wo hasandeiru, aibou," he responded, stepping off of her.

"Eh…?" She pushed herself up, smoothing down her short skirt and the button-up top she was wearing. Ciel felt himself growing red. She was showing way too much leg…

Suddenly she caught his gaze. "Ah, dare ka, futaritomo?" Her gaze shifted between him and Sebastian, and then widened on his butler. "Moshikashite…"

"Eigo, Yako."

"Eigo?" She blinked. "You two speak English?"

"Yes," Sebastian responded stiffly.

"Ah, I'm sorry," she apologized with a pleasant smile. "I didn't realize."

"You would have if you had been observing, slug."

"Well excuse me for being focused on finding my dinner you stole, Neuro," she barked, rounding back on the other demon. "Speaking of which…"

"Oh, I suppose I can return it to you."

He presented her with a box writhing with tentacles, reeking of something Ciel did not want to figure out.

"Yappari…" she muttered, switching back to her native tongue. Neuro beamed, and tossed the box of ruined food over his head. "Well, my dinner can wait. It seems like we have more important matters anyway."

She approached them without any hesitation.

"Yako Katsuragi," she introduced herself, offering her hand to Sebastian. He faltered, glancing over to Neuro as though looking for permission. Ciel watched her raise an eyebrow, and then look over her shoulder at the blue-suited being. He gave her a pointed look.

"A handshake isn't going to kill me, Neuro. He may not be human, but I get the feeling he's not planning anything. He's protecting someone from you, after all."

" _Human_ psychology is your field, not demons."

"You'd be surprised how many things we have in common, Neuro." Turning back to them, she sighed. "Since he's standing back there, he's not going to do anything."

"…I'll take your word for it," Sebastian replied, took her hand in his, and brought it to his lips. "Pleasure to meet you, Miss Katsuragi. I am Sebastian, butler to the Earl Phantomhive."

Yako flushed deeply. "Ano…"

"Sebastian, I don't think that's standard greeting in this… time period," Ciel observed.

"Oh, dear," he said with a light chuckle. "My apologies."

"No, no, it's alright. Just unexpected," Yako dismissed, quickly regaining her composure. "A demon butler? Neuro, why couldn't you be more like him?"

He scoffed. "To a human like you?"

"This human happens to be your partner," she replied with a deeply annoyed look. "Or at least I proved myself worthy enough for that title four years ago. You have a habit of forgetting that. On purpose."

"If I were one of _his_ kind, your soul would have been devoured long ago. I'm surprised the child's soul is still intact."

"Eh?"

She whirled around, a look on her face that Ciel recognized as worry. He raised a hand to dismiss it.

"As per our contract," he began, stepping around Sebastian to regain something of his own commanding presence, "Sebastian has claim to my soul after he fulfils certain requirements." This was entirely strange to reveal to someone he hardly knew, but he had a strong feeling this woman would understand, given the demon she kept company with.

"But you're…" she started, and he knew without her needing to finish that objection that she was referring to his age.

"Fully capable of making my own decisions. I am the one who summoned him, after all."

They held each other's gaze for a long moment before Yako offered him a smile. He was struck with the sense that she understood him much more than their conversation should allow for.

"I see," she finally said. "Earl Phantomhive, wasn't it?"

"Ciel is fine," he corrected.

"Then please, call me Yako," she added, her smile widening. "I'll admit, I'm a bit curious about the contract you mentioned. Neuro and I don't have one." She paused, looking thoughtful, then worried. "We _don't_ have a contract, right Neuro? I'm not grossly unaware of one, am I?"

He laughed, finding the question absolutely hilarious. The young woman seemed confused.

"Demons beyond a certain caliber needn't make contracts," Sebastian explained coolly, not sharing the other demon's glee. "The contract helps to maintain form and ability in the surface world for demons incapable of surviving otherwise. Without one, most demons dry up rather quickly."

This was news to Ciel, who looked between the two beings for a long moment.

"Is he… that much more powerful than you, Sebastian?"

Another fit of laughter from the colorful demon.

"Quite."

The simple answer left him surprised.

"I'm surprised to see you here, Lord Neuro," Sebastian continued. "The last I had heard, you were tackling the mystery of the Ninth Floor."

"It was a simple one," he replied with a disdainful frown. "I've since devoured all of the mysteries Hell had to offer."

Sebastian raised an eyebrow.

"Every mystery?"

"Did I stutter?"

"No, my apologies," Sebastian quickly backpedaled. "It is no wonder you have access to the Tools, then."

"I mastered them all long before I accomplished that task."

"I see."

"I don't understand a word of this conversation," Ciel interrupted. "And I do hate being left in the dark."

"Forgive me, Young Master," Sebastian said with a smile and a small bow. "We are speaking of the 777 Tools of the Demon World. They are tools available to only a select few residents, and even fewer master all of them. The eye we found earlier was one of those.

"There's the 7 Tools of the Demon Emperor, too," Yako chimed in with a note of curiosity. "The giant fish thing, and there's that tree, too. Evil Tree, right?"

"You have seen them?" Sebastian asked with wide eyes. His gaze quickly moved to Neuro. "You have been gifted those as well?"

In response, the other demon simply smiled widely.

"Why do I get the feeling that somehow makes him important?" Ciel and Yako said in unison, and then stared at each other in surprise.

" _Important_ is an understatement. He is on par with the Emperor herself."

There was a long stretch of silence before Yako broke it.

"Neuro, I feel like you should tell me these things," she said in exasperation, this knowledge obviously new to her. "I've been working with you for how long now? Zera eluded to it when you went home, but eluding to and explaining are two very different things."

"You never asked," he said with an amused shrug. "Also, _with_ me?"

"Fine, _for_ you," she corrected. "Mattaku…"

A sudden, very audile growl echoed around the room, and all eyes fell to its source. Yako turned a very bright red from the attention. Her laugh followed the next rumble.

"I guess… I really need my dinner."

"Your stomach sounds like you haven't eaten in a _year_ ," Ciel commented. She rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment.

"It's been four hours, actually…" she admitted. "Why don't we move up to the office so we can discuss your situation more comfortably? I can have Godai drop by the convenience store, too."

"Office?"

"We're right below our detective agency," she elaborated. "Neuro solves the mysteries, but I'm the face of it. Keeps him from standing out too much."

Ciel and Sebastian exchanged looks. This was going to be interesting.

* * *

 **My knowledge and understanding of Japanese is pretty limited. I understand much more than I can write, SO, if someone more fluent has corrections to the dialogue, please let me know. I'm aware that commas are not a thing in Japanese, but I wanted the dialogue to be viewed from an English perspective, since Ceil understands none of it. Otherwise the following is the translation of each instance of Japanese:**

 **What are you doing here?**

 **(Give me) My lunch-ACK**

 **You're interrupting (the conversation), partner.**

 **Who are the both of you?**

 **Is it possible...?**

 **English, Yako.**

 **English?**

 **I knew it.**

 **Um...**

 **Good grief...**

 **All of the crossovers (that I have read) for these series usually pin Neuro and Sebastian as equals or make Sebastian more powerful. I wanted to twist that and give Neuro the top spot for this, hence why Ciel and Sebastian are thrown into 21st Century Japan and not the other way around; it cuts Sebastian down another notch since he's not in his own territory. I used a little of my own headcanon here to make that make sense (see contract explanation and access to the 777 tools), and a lot of information from the end of the Majin Tantei series. More of that will show up in the next chapter.**

 **This is set post-manga for Majin Tantei, and after the Cruise in Kuro.**


	2. Gathering

Their detective office was strange.

Upon opening the door, they were greeted simultaneously in Japanese by a rough-looking blonde (rudely), and by a very beautiful girl (kindly). Given that Ciel couldn't understand a word of it, he figured it was a small feat being able to recognize who he should glare at.

Sebastian placed an arm protectively in front of him when the blonde approached.

"Ah, Godai-san, chotto," Yako intervened. "Kono hitotachi wa kakaku de, soshite eigo wo hanashite kudasai."

"Ch-chotto, eigo?!" The man answered back, suddenly nervous. "E-eto…Hello. How…how you are?"

Apparently he knew very little English.

" _How are you_ ," Sebastian corrected, moving smoothly into his strangely comfortable role as a teacher. "But close."

The man flushed with embarrassment.

"Daijoubu, Godai-san," Yako told him with a comforting hand on his shoulder. She turned back to them. "Ciel, Sebastian, this is Godai, an associate of mine. Godai-san, kochira wa Ciel Phantomhive-hakushaku de, soshite Ciel no shitsuji Sebastian-san desu."

The man's eyes widened on him in surprise in accordance to what he assumed was an introduction.

"D-douzo yoroshiku," he muttered with something of a bow.

"He says _nice to meet you_ ," Yako translated. Sebastian bowed to him in turn, while Ciel offered him a nod of acknowledgement.

"An Earl?" came the light voice of the other resident of the office. "I'm honored to make your acquaintance, sir. I am Akane, secretary of the Katsuragi Yako Detective Agency."

Yako's secretary was incredibly beautiful, if underdressed (though Ciel was beginning to assume fashion trends had changed). Her long dark hair was braided and lay over her shoulder elegantly, and her smile was bright and welcoming.

There was something off about her, though. For all of her beauty, she was strangely pale and surprisingly cold to the touch as he offered her his hand and she gave it a gentle shake. Sebastian took her hand when offered as well, though an expression crossed his features that confirmed Ciel's senses weren't too far off. He didn't know what to make of it.

"You two are quite far from home," she noted. "What brings you to Japan?"

"Unfortunate circumstances we haven't quite made sense of," Sebastian answered. Akane tilted her head in confusion.

"Sounds like you must have a mystery, then," she replied after a moment. "Please, make yourselves comfortable. Would you care for some tea?"

"Tea would be nice," Ciel agreed. "Thank you."

As Akane turned away to brew some, the door behind them shut and Yako ushered them to the couches to sit.

"Godai is going to pick up some food from the convenience store for us," she said with a smile. "He shouldn't be too long."

"You needn't feed us," Ciel assured her.

"It's no problem, really," she dismissed with a wave of her hand.

"She's a pig who eats too much anyway," Neuro butted in, knocking the back of her head with his foot as he vaulted over the back of the couch to join them. "One bento isn't going to help her much, though."

"Says the glutton who would rather feed himself a good mystery than breathe properly," Yako countered when she recovered. Neuro simply smiled with a blank look of amusement on his face.

Ciel wasn't sure what to make of their interactions. Sebastian didn't seem to find them unusual though, which got him thinking about general relations between humans and demons. Sebastian had a tendency to play mind games whenever he could get away with it, but he was fiercely loyal despite that. He wondered how much of their contract had to do with that, and how much was simply Sebastian's personality in comparison to Neuro's.

"Anyway, why don't you start at the beginning," Yako eventually prompted (after removing her head from the headlock Neuro had trapped it in). "How did you find yourselves in Japan?"

"We seem to have accidentally stumbled upon a time-slip," Sebastian began. "You see, we belong in London during the time of Queen Victoria's reign."

"Queen Victoria?"

"The late 1800s," Akane provided as she brought the tea to the table between the two parties.

"Oh, that's quite a jump," Yako said in surprise.

"You're quite knowledgeable," Sebastian complemented the secretary as she passed cups of tea around. "Your English is very good, as well."

"I enjoy studying when I'm not being worked to the roots," she replied with a sweet smile. "Can you consume tea, Mr. Sebastian?"

Caught mildly off-guard by the question, he took a moment to respond.

"I can, yes."

"Wonderful." She presented him with a cup, which he accepted with a smile.

"I've been meaning to ask," Ciel started, looking across the table at the members of the detective agency. "How was it that you knew Sebastian was not human?"

Yako gestured to Neuro with a tilt of her head. "The way he was acting said a lot. He doesn't drop his human guise in too many situations, and that Sebastian was keeping his eye on Neuro but didn't look entirely horrified by his actions clicked a couple more pieces together. It was your eyes, Sebastian, which really gave you away in the end. Human eyes don't work like that, and I've gotten used to it from Neuro."

Ciel looked up at his butler, whose eyes gleamed demonically before settling back to something more acceptably human.

"I suppose I wasn't concerned with being careful there."

Yako chuckled with amusement.

"What about you, then?" Ciel continued, turning to Akane. She clearly knew something to have worded her question in such a way, but he couldn't think of something to have given it away.

"Oh, I exist because of Neuro's power, so I suppose I'm sensitive to others with inhuman energy," she explained. At Ciel's look of confusion, Sebastian chimed in.

"She is not alive, Young Master," he said evenly. "At least, not in the sense you understand."

Ciel had had his fill of the undead only just weeks ago. He did not expect to encounter something similar so soon.

"This body was alive once, before it was plastered into the wall over there as punishment for debts incurred by her father," she explained. Her smile was too pleasant for the story, and Ciel felt a little sick. "I gained new life from Neuro's energy, and I was further able to make use of this body again after enough of it built up. It's the best thing I could ever ask for as hair."

To punctuate her point, her braided hair looped around the tea kettle and poured some into the cup that she held with both hands. Her smile, once pleasant, now disturbed him to a certain degree.

"…As hair?" Sebastian questioned.

"Ah, did you assume I was human, Mr. Sebastian?" she questioned in polite surprise. "My apologies; I didn't mean to confuse you. I'm the hair that this human once cared for. She was quite kind to me in her life."

Ciel unconsciously brought his hand to his own hair. If she had simply been an undead human, he would have been uncomfortable, but to think that the _hair_ of that human was what was now controlling that body… he wasn't certain he would sleep well tonight.

"…Godai and I are both entirely human," Yako noted when she observed Ciel's reaction. "We all make a pretty strange team, I suppose, but I couldn't ask for better partners."

"I have had my share of unusual encounters," Ciel explained, attempting to compose himself, "but I have to say that this takes the cake."

"Demons do have a tendency to bring unusual things along with them."

They sipped their tea for a moment, and then Yako brought the conversation back around to their predicament.

"So you came through a rift in time and space and ended up here. Neuro, you mentioned once that you forced your way onto the surface yourself; any possibility that means you can rip a hole in time as well?"

The other demon smiled at the expression on Sebastian's face for a moment before answering.

"If that were the case, three years wouldn't have passed for you after my quick trip home," he noted. "It's likely another demon or an interaction that wasn't meant to occur created a tear. They rarely happen naturally."

She hummed in contemplation.

"I have been unable to locate the same tear," Sebastian added. "It seems it has closed itself up already."

"Well, there has to be something we can do," Yako muttered, bringing her hand to her chin.

"Neuro, would the same device you used to pull Miss Yako's younger self into this time work to send these two back to their proper time?" Akane asked thoughtfully.

"I had forgotten about that…" Yako sighed with a look that told Ciel he did not wish to hear the story.

"Unfortunately, Time Machine isn't reliable enough for that," he said with a disappointed sneer. "If you recall, my intention was to go 3,000 years before, not 3."

"Time Machine has never been a reliable tool, from what I've heard," Sebastian said with amusement. "Several have been lost to it."

Yako gave him a surprised look, then shot her gaze to Neuro.

"I'm really glad my past self returned properly."

"The tear may not be visible, but it is likely the space has not properly repaired itself," Neuro continued. "Evil Space should be capable of making it passable once more."

"Will that consume much energy?"

There was a moment of complete silence where the colorful demon regarded the blonde woman thoughtfully, before it was shattered when he pinned her head between his knuckles and twisted them with a vengeance.

"I'll be looked down upon if a human is worrying about my health, top slug," he informed her with a falsely sweet tone. "I have plenty to spare for such a trifling matter. Do more useful things with your head."

"I won't be able to do anything useful if you crush it!" she reminded him, trying to pry his hands from her temples. Eventually he relented.

"I shall return when the rift is prepared," he stated, turning toward the window. "I expect nothing will transpire in my absence?"

"You have my word, my lord," Sebastian responded in complete seriousness, aware of the words that were not said.

"Excellent."

And with that, he leapt out of the window.

Ciel hadn't noticed the stiffness in Sebastian's shoulders until it left him with a sigh. He leaned back into the couch as though he had exerted himself greatly, and closed his eyes for a long moment.

"I had hoped moving the conversation here would let the two of you relax a little bit, but I suppose that won't really be possible until you're back home," Yako said apologetically.

"No, it helped. Really, it did," Sebastian assured her. "Lord Neuro is quite intimidating, nonetheless. He's the last being I expected to come across, and I'd rather not stay in his territory longer than I have to."

"I have never heard of you intimidated by anything," Ciel said with some surprise.

"I have never had much to be intimidated by while serving you," he explained. "He was powerful back in our proper time period. Being granted the 7 Tools of the Emperor says that he is more powerful than I last knew."

"It's hard for me to believe myself," Yako added, accepting another full cup of tea from Akane. "He acts like he's above humans, of course, but he's hardly what I imagine a high-level demon to be. He's too child-like."

Sebastian chuckled behind his fist.

"A human calling Lord Neuro child-like," he mused. "I suppose it makes sense that you could worry about him as well."

"He came pretty close to death once," she explained with a sad smile. "I can't help but worry about him."

Sebastian raised a thoughtful eyebrow, but the door to the office opened in the same moment, interrupting their conversation and announcing the return of her associate.

"Ah, Godai-san, arigatou!"

Akane rose to assist the man, who was carrying several bags of small boxes. From what Ciel could see, there was much more food than a couple of people could consume in one sitting. The other demon's words came back to him, overlaid with the sound of Yako's stomach growling.

Did she really intend to eat _all_ of that?

There was a quick exchange in Japanese that Ciel didn't quite catch as he watched Akane pull each box out of the bags (twenty boxes in total) that eventually ended with the man leaving once again. Yako saw him out, and then quickly joined them.

"Are you at all familiar with chopsticks?" she asked him, passing him a box and a small package containing a pair of them.

"I am," he confirmed. "My former head butler is of Japanese descent. I learned several things about tea and culture from him, but I'm afraid the language was never taught to me."

"My English isn't too bad, so don't worry about it," she laughed. "I apologize if this kind of food isn't the quality you would normally eat. I imagine Sebastian prepares some wonderful meals."

Sebastian smiled at the praise. Ciel didn't bother to mention that he had a cook – he knew Sebastian took care of just about everything in his manor.

"This will do perfectly fine," Ciel told her, and then watched as Yako said something in Japanese and proceeded to mow through her first box in record time. The second box was quickly opened and started. "Do you truly intend to eat every one of those?"

She flushed in embarrassment. "I eat far more food than the average person, I'll admit. I'm not even sure where I pack it into, and I never do get full. It's one of the things Neuro and I have in common, actually."

"You found commonality with him?" Sebastian inquired.

"Our love of food, yes," she confirmed. "And our ability to never be satisfied by it. He consumes mysteries, and came up here looking for ones that would satisfy him after nothing in the lower world could. Where we differ is that he's incredibly picky about the ones he consumes. I prefer good food over mediocre, but I'll eat whatever I need to when I'm hungry. He'd rather starve than eat something that he doesn't consider appetizing."

Ciel looked pointedly at Sebastian as he hummed in amusement.

"I can understand that," he explained. "Unlike other demons of my kind, I'm rather picky about my food as well. I haven't eaten in quite a while."

"I can't imagine starving myself waiting for a gourmet meal, though I suppose that's because I'm human."

"It is difficult to understand when you must eat to survive."

Yako shrugged and turned back to her own meal, smiling in satisfaction as a clump of rice disappeared into her mouth.

They sat in silence eating their food, until Sebastian interrupted it when some rice slipped from Ciel's chopsticks and nearly landed on his lap. Instead, his butler's quick reaction let it land on his gloved hand instead.

"Careful, Young Master," he said as he set the rice aside on the lid of the box.

"Perhaps I'm not as familiar with chopsticks as I thought."

"Rice has its tricks."

He caught Yako's curious gaze as he readjusted his grip on the utensils. She looked between the two of them for a long moment before finally settling her eyes on Sebastian.

"Do you really intend to eat his soul?"

He blinked back at her in surprise.

"It just seems like you two are close, is all," she explained. "Perhaps I'm reading too much into it, but you're quite protective of him. Even with Neuro out, you haven't left Ciel's side, and you always have an eye on him. I feel pretty strongly that you two have been through quite a lot together."

"…Per our contract, I am to act as his butler, and so certain duties are required of me," he explained after a long moment. "When the deal has been settled, his soul is mine to do what I please with."

"…To do what you please with, huh?"

"Perhaps you are reading to deeply into it," he chuckled.

"Perhaps," she agreed, though Ciel felt like some kind of understanding had passed between them. "Speaking of your contract, can any demon make one?"

"I believe most demons are capable of it, yes," he replied thoughtfully. "Why do you wish to know?"

"As a demon, you're aware of the lack of shouki in the surface world, I'm sure."

"Is this going back to the time he came close to death?"

"Yes," she said with a sigh. "It was years ago, and he seems to be using his energy much more conservatively this time, but there are only so many ways he can replenish his energy here. These days we can hardly make a trip to a hot spring with access to shouki without the tabloids thinking we're an item, and his body starts to adapt to the common sense of this world after a while, so the trips like that are becoming more necessary.

"You mentioned before that a contract helps to maintain form and ability. I'm just wondering if it would be beneficial for him to create one so that he doesn't have to be so careful, especially given how limited shouki leaks are. I'd also worry about him less, I suppose."

"Any demon would benefit from a contract if their intention is to remain on the surface," Sebastian resolved. "However, demons of his caliber see them as a form of weakness. I'm not so sure he would agree to make one."

She looked a little disappointed, so Sebastian added one more note to the conversation.

"If it's you, though, he might set his pride aside. To be considered his partner, you must mean quite a lot to him."

Yako brightened up a little.

"Thank you, Sebastian."

* * *

 **As for the Japanese that was not translated within the narrative:**

 **Ah, Godai, wait a moment. These people are important guests; furthermore, please speak English.**

 **W-wait, English?**

 **It's alright, Godai. Godai, this person is Earl Ciel Phantomhive, and Ciel's butler Sebastian.**

 **Ah, Godai, thank you!**

 **Also, shouki is miasma (or the deadly-to-living-things gas commonly shown as healthy to demons in popular culture). I don't have Yako translate this because I see this far more often in Japanese culture than in others (but I'm biased, so meh).**

 **Anyway, I imagine several of you are wondering about Akane and the Time Machine. If you happen to own the last volume of Majin Tantei, after the story ends there is a fun little page full of things that would happen in Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro 2. Akane breaks out of the wall in one panel, and Yako notes that she really is a beautiful girl. I haven't been able to find this page in any scans, so I might translate and scan it myself at some point. My headcannon she isn't actually alive, though, and is still sentient hair turned parasitic. The Time Machine comes from an omake on the next page where Neuro attempts to use it to go 3000 years in the past for some reason, but ends up bringing the Yako from three years before there. The two Yako have a short conversation, interrupted by Neuro who decides they should be put to work (pulling a cart he sits on). I don't think it's actually a tool (it did not say it was one of the 777), but it seemed like a fun thing to add.**


	3. Departure

Neuro hadn't yet returned by the time they finished their food (and Yako had actually finished _all_ of the remaining boxes, much to the surprise of them both), so they found themselves falling into conversation again.

"If you don't mind my asking, how did you become acquainted with him?" Sebastian asked with a curious tone, as though he had been contemplating it for a while. "I'm a bit surprised to know he considers a human something of an equal, you see. That doesn't happen much among demons."

"I'm his partner, but I still haven't gone much above _top slug_ in what he considers compliments," she sighed, apparently not feeling quite as equal as Sebastian was suggesting. Akane laughed quietly behind her hand while Yako shook her head. "Anyway, I was sixteen when Neuro suddenly appeared. My father had been murdered, and he claimed he could solve the case, but he wanted me for cover, for whatever reason. I was… heavily persuaded, you could say, into playing the part."

Ciel looked down at his cup of tea as his thoughts turned dark. Murdered, huh? Perhaps demons were attracted to tragedy.

"You okay, Ciel?"

His head snapped up at her words, surprised. Had he been that obvious?

"I'm fine," he assured her. "We appear to have something in common."

She looked surprised first, then saddened, though he didn't see anything of pity in her eyes. For that he was grateful.

"I'm sad to hear that," she commented. "I hope other things we might have in common are more pleasant." She didn't press him for the details, and he wondered if she had sensed he would not give them even if she had.

"If we're talking about similarities, I do detective work myself quite frequently," he informed her, steering the conversation to easier topics. He didn't normally discuss his duties so openly, but her knowing shouldn't pose a problem, given their separation by time.

"Really?" she replied with some excitement. "Are you like a police consultant or more a private eye?"

"A bit like a private eye, I suppose," he shrugged. "My official title is _The Queen's Watchdog,_ and it is a role my family has played for generations. We take care of the personal concerns of the Queen, and those matters often involve a bit of detective work. I work directly with London's underground, though; I'm not in it for the sense of doing justice."

He wasn't expecting her to laugh, but she did.

"Putting it that way, you have a bit in common with Neuro. He doesn't solve cases to put criminals behind bars; he's completely in it for his stomach, the glutton."

Ciel chuckled. "I expected you to say something about how a kid should stay away from people like that."

"You made it clear earlier that your age is irrelevant," she reminded him. "Besides, I can't judge when Godai is a member of the Yakuza. I actually work quite a bit with Japan's underground, and though I don't approve of their methods, they do make a great resource."

"I'm impressed, Miss Detective."

"Neuro is the one who started that connection, though," she added. "Really, he built this whole place up."

"Your role cannot simply be the face of this agency, though," Sebastian observed.

"It was at first, but over time it became apparent that I have a knack for understanding people's hearts and their reasons for doing things. Neuro, brilliant as he is at uncovering _how_ something was done, is hopeless when it comes to the deeper _why,_ because he doesn't have the ability to understand humans in that way. We balance each other out, in a sense."

She took a sip of her tea, and then continued.

"With Neuro's food being the _puzzle_ or the _evil intent_ that a human exudes, it's usually necessary to dig into those human reasons in order to fully unlock it. Mysteries that stem from the human heart are ones he needs my assistance for, and, perhaps ironically, are also the most appetizing for him. I have a running theory that emotions act the part of seasoning for puzzles."

Sebastian hummed thoughtfully at that, and Ciel found himself making parallels between the two demons. His butler did have some trouble concerning human reasoning, but he also had zero difficulty keeping up his human appearance when he had to deal with it. Each had a particular palette and both seemed to be essentially starving themselves in favor of catering to that. They both had something of a sadistic streak, though where Neuro appeared to stray to the physical side of that, Sebastian preferred the verbal route and remained subtle about it in comparison to the other demon. The major difference between the two was in the way they handled their counterpart.

Yako seemed like a very kind young woman, hardly the type of person he expected to be teamed with a demon (and although she had said she had been _heavily persuaded_ , it seemed like she no longer needed that incentive). It was apparent, however, that something lurked behind her gentle gaze. At times, she gave him the impression she was looking directly into his soul, and she had a downright unusual way of simply accepting the strange things before her. The way she discussed the demons' food preferences and the concept of a contract with Sebastian was smooth considering she was human and had no prior knowledge of such agreements with demons.

He did not know her age, but sixteen seemed several years behind her. Years of dealing with inhuman beings and scenarios might account for the way she handled the situation, but Ciel felt it more likely that Yako was simply someone who could handle all of that. In some ways, that made her as intimidating as she was pleasant.

"Have you two been acquainted long?" she asked.

"A few years," Ciel provided. "I don't consider partners the right term for our relationship, but Sebastian has been an irreplaceable asset. I would not be where I am without him."

"Praise me too much and I might think you soft, Young Master," Sebastian chuckled.

"Please," he scoffed. "You and I both know I'm hardly likely to _go soft_."

"Very true."

"I imagine your duties require you to keep up certain appearances," Yako observed with a light laugh.

"Along with my duties to Her Majesty, I also have a company to run," he revealed.

"Really?" she asked him, shocked by this as well. "What kind of company?"

"Confectionaries and toys, though recently we've expanded into the food industry. Funtom caters to children, mostly, but it is very popular and requires quite a bit of my time."

"Wait, did you say _Funtom_?"

Realizing that she was repeating the name with recognition in her tone, Ciel and Sebastian exchanged looks of surprise.

"…You mean to say it's still an active company in this time period?" Sebastian asked.

"Of course!" she replied with excitement. "I was once gifted a basket of chocolates from Funtom as thanks for helping out with a case the Yard was having difficulty with. It was one of the _best_ chocolate candy sets I had ever had, and any time I go back to England, I make an effort to pick some up. It's best direct from the source."

Ciel found himself smiling in absolute amazement. To think his company would survive beyond his lifetime…

"Well…" he started, though was at a loss for words for a moment longer. "I'll have to keep up the work, to make sure it's still around at this time."

"Please do!" Yako pleaded with a large smile. "I can't imagine not having ever tasted it. Oh, and the curry-pan, the strawberry shortcake, the star fruit candies…"

It was apparent that food was definitely one of Yako's biggest loves, as she continued to list goods from the company that he was either familiar with or had never heard of. He silently hoped Sebastian was keeping track.

Her reverie was interrupted by the return of Neuro, who promptly latched a dangerous-looking hand onto her head and lifted her off of the couch.

"The pathway has been opened," he informed them. "Let us make haste; it will not last."

Worried by that prospect, Ciel and Sebastian both responded quickly. When Neuro led them to the window, Yako questioned why they weren't using the door.

"This is the most direct path," he shrugged. "Also…"

He raised his arm, and Ciel watched in fascination as the two triangular cuff links that adorned his sleeve came together. The shape they made then suddenly appeared over their heads.

"Evil Blind," the other demon said nonchalantly.

Sebastian stilled him as the shape passed over them, preventing him from dodging out of the way of the strange bit of magic, and silently assuring him it wasn't harmful.

"…What is this?" he eventually inquired.

"It reduces others' perception of us," Sebastian explained.

"Neuro, this hardly works on two people for very long, let alone four!" Yako reprimanded the greater demon.

"It will work plenty long enough," he argued with a squeeze to her head. "The gate's location makes this necessary."

"…It's location?"

He did not answer, and quickly dragged her out of the window. With a quick exchange of looks, Ciel and Sebastian followed swiftly behind.

They soon found the reason why it was necessary to make themselves less conspicuous.

In the middle of a busy street, on the side of an overpass for what looked to be a modern passenger train, was a large banner announcing the opening of an art exhibit (the featured item a dress in a style Ciel was far more familiar with – fitting that the tear should appear near something related to his own era). Some kind of transparent veil covered it, and surrounding the entire thing was a creature more repulsive than anything he could have imagined. It seemed to be stretching the veil over the sign, and if the cries and profuse sweating were anything to go by, it was under great strain by doing so.

No one but them could apparently see it, as none of the people walking on the sidewalks or riding by in the strange carriages reacted to it. He figured people would be rather visible, though, and people climbing to that particular spot even more so.

"Looks like this is where we part ways, then," Yako announced when they stopped on the platform that extended under the sign.

"It appears so," he responded, grateful that this strange adventure was concluding.

"We are grateful for your hospitality and assistance," Sebastian added, bowing to Neuro, who simply shrugged.

"Just cleaning up," he replied. Ciel frowned at the implied insult, but Sebastian merely smiled.

"Good luck with your company and your other responsibilities," Yako added after slapping the blue-suited demon's shoulder. "Be careful."

"Same to you," Ciel replied.

"Go," Neuro prompted. "Evil Space is out of time."

The tool did seem to be losing its grip. Sebastian gently directed him forward.

"Goodbye, then," he tossed over his shoulder.

"Goodbye!"

Stepping through the veil and finding themselves in front of the shop they last remembered seeing before the pathway had displaced them, both of them heaved a sigh of relief.

Behind them, they could vaguely make out an image of the busy street they had left behind, along with two figures, one of them looming over the other. Yako's voice rang out in her native tongue, clearly disapproving of whatever Neuro was doing to her now. The other demon's amused cackle filled the air as she yelled his name, and then suddenly the tear snapped closed.

The Earl and his butler both shook their heads in either exhaustion or exasperation.

Taking in their familiar surroundings, Ciel took several moments to regain his bearings. This was his territory. This was _home_.

He would be far more careful walking past dress shops in the future, he noted, annoyed glare resting on a familiar dress in the window.

"Sebastian?"

"Yes, My Lord?"

"When we get home, I want a long bath and a warm cup of milk."

Sebastian chuckled.

"As you wish, My Lord."

* * *

 **This has been edited (6/4/17) to include a bit more of the elements it was missing, like setting descriptors, a more obvious connection point for the rift, and smoother dialogue.**

 **Also, that's the end! One instance of Japanese in this one - Curry-pan is Curry bread.**

 **I enjoyed connecting these two worlds and mixing and twisting details to suit the story. Evil Space is an entirely made-up tool, by the way. I've implied a few things in this story (Sebastian perhaps not planning to eat Ciel's soul, and the possibility of Neuro and Yako making a contract), but I wanted to leave them open to interpretation. Read into those whatever makes you happiest.**

 **For my very first cross-over, this was fun. I** _ **may**_ **write a sequel with Yako and Neuro in Victorian England... but not any time soon. For now, this is the end of this.**

 **Until next time!**

 **-sf**


End file.
